Sermon Manuscript

Well it is great to be here! It’s Christmas week, which means Michael Bublé is on repeat and we get to celebrate the incredible birth of Jesus. This is my favorite time of year. And as many of you know, we got a very special gift this year. Charlie Daniel Eagleson was born insert date here (show pic). We are so thrilled to have him in our lives! Charlie is our third child

Baby’s are incredible gifts, but they come with quite the array of emotions. There is joy, sadness, love, and confusion. You feel almost every emotion available in the span of a day. But you know God’s love is with you every step of the way as you navigate parenthood. And these are just the emotions you feel when having a regular baby! I can only imagine how Mary felt when she discovered she was going to carry the Son of God in her womb. I’m sure she felt every emotion we as parents have felt, but amplified tenfold. But one of the things that’s so amazing in this story is how God continued to comfort, empower, and protect Mary. Not once did He leave her. He drew near to her and covered her in His never-ending love. Drawing her to Himself.

Experiencing God’s love draws us into relationship with Him where we encounter His comfort, empowerment, and protection. And when you look at the Christmas story, you see that truth lived out in the characters we’ve been studying the past few weeks. People who, like us, felt joy and trials of all kinds. Many of us go through a mix of emotions during the Christmas season. Excitement for a new life, sadness for life passed, anxiety as you navigate a new marriage, uncertainty at work, a financial blessing…the Christmas season brings a complicated group of emotions. Many of them felt by Mary when she learned of her pregnancy from the angel Gabriel.

We step into Mary’s story beginning in Luke 1:26. If you’d like to follow along you can turn there now or follow along in our app. When we first encounter Mary in this story she has no idea God had been setting the stage for Christ’s arrival. Her cousin Elizabeth was currently pregnant with who would eventually become John the Baptist. The one who would pave the way for Jesus and eventually baptize Him. Now this was completely unexpected considering Elizebeth was much older and was assumed to not be able to have children at this point in her life. Yet God chooses her and Zechariah to be the ones who will help pave the way for Jesus’s entire ministry!

Even before Elizabeth God made a covenant with King David, the greatest king the Israelites ever had, that the Messiah would come from his family line. You can find the list of this genealogy at the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, but you’ll notice the list begins with Abraham and ends with Joseph. The same Joseph Mary is now betrothed to. Mary doesn’t know it yet, but she is the final piece of the puzzle. The culmination of God’s wonderful plan. Through her betrothal to Joseph, God will honor His covenant with David and provide the Messiah from his family tree.

This girl in a small town called Nazareth, even smaller than Morristown, has entered into a legal marriage with her husband Joseph but, as was tradition with betrothals, they had not consummated the marriage. That part is crucial because how in the world would she have a child without being with her husband Joseph? Who she was currently in a year long betrothal process with that would culminate with them consummating their marriage.

God in His infinite love was in the background working for Mary’s, and humanity’s, good before she received unbelievable news from Gabriel. Here’s Luke’s recording of what the angel Gabriel says to her,

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

The angel Gabriel reveals that Mary is part of God’s plan. What that plan is exactly remains a mystery, but there’s something important in the way the angel addresses her. He calls her “O favored one”, and the original Greek word is in the perfect tense, which means it’s a completed action with continuing results. It’s also passive, meaning this favor is something done to her, not by her.

Putting this all together means God moved in active love towards Mary. His love isn’t being poured out on her for a fleeting moment, and she didn’t earn it by being exceptional or more holy than anyone else. She was just a young woman, ordinary in every way. Yet God chooses to pour His grace upon her, comforting her, and setting her apart as His “favored one”, preparing her for a role only He could give. God’s love reaches out first. Inviting us to know Him personally.

God’s love doesn’t depend on you. It doesn’t hinge upon what you’ve done, good or bad. His love is extended towards you in an incredible act of grace as He invites you into relationship with Him. It is within His comforting love that we are drawn into relationship with Him. Mary didn’t ask for this special outpouring of love, it was given to her. And she was drawn into a special relationship with Him. When you and I experience the love of God we are able to receive His divine comfort as we are drawn into a relationship with Him. And not just for a moment, but for eternity. As God’s love draws you into relationship with Him you receive His comfort. This is the first thing we learn about God’s love from the Christmas story. He equips us for the tasks we perceive as impossible. He’s with us just as He was with Mary.

Mary’s response to this incredible revelation is one that probably isn’t too far off how many of us would react; she’s confused! We see in verse 29,

29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Something I find interesting here is Mary was greatly troubled by the greeting. We’ll see her response to being the mother of the Messiah in a bit here, but Mary’s “great trouble”, or you could really just call it confusion, comes from being mentioned as God’s favored one. She knows her life is about to change forever, and she’s scared. We can trust God but still be nervous about what He calls us to. And that’s where Mary is at! She trusts God, but she’s not quite sure what’s going on. She’s trying to understand how she fits in with all of this.

Knowing her confusion and fear, the angel Gabriel provides encouragement by revealing just how she fits into God’s plan of justification for humanity. First, Gabriel rephrases the greeting. He says “you have found favor with God”. What he’s doing is reminding her God is with her. She is not alone in what seems like an impossible task.

Mary’s fears may have calmed, if ever so slightly, but her confusion remained the same. She’s just been told she will be the mother of the Savior of the world. The Davidic Covenant, which she would have been quite familiar with, is going to culminate with the birth of her son Jesus. The one her people had been waiting for, praying for, and eagerly anticipating was going to arrive through her. God’s favored one.

Mary should be encouraged because God is empowering her to do the impossible. None of this can be done without Him, which means He will be with her every step of the way. There will be no end to the goodness of God. Jesus will continue to reign now and forever. He will continue to do impossible things through His people. Including this incredible plan of redemption the angel Gabriel has just revealed.

Mary may not know it yet, but this moment marks the beginning of God willingly limiting Himself in the form of a man so that He may sacrifice Himself for our sins. We as followers of Jesus may be encouraged by God’s redemptive plan because it is a beautiful outpouring of His love that has nothing to do with us, but everything to do with Him. Yet we reap the benefits. Without doing any of the work, we are able to receive His unrelenting love. And it all began with this moment. The angel Gabriel revealing the reign of Jesus.

God’s love empowers us as He provides hope when facing the impossible. What is impossible with you, is possible with Him. You may feel like your marriage is over, but with the love of Jesus there is restoration. It may feel impossible that you will experience joy this Christmas, but with Christ it is possible. As God’s love draws you into relationship with Him, you receive His empowerment.

God is with Mary, but that doesn’t mean she fully understands everything. There’s still the lingering question of how this is all going to play out. After all, she’s a virgin and it isn’t time to consummate her marriage with Joseph. So how can she become pregnant yet honor God at the same time? It’s why she asks the angel in verse 34…

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary’s response here isn’t one of disbelief, she knows what will happen, she is asking how it will happen. Gabriel has already revealed what will take place, but now he reveals how it will take place. And he also assures Mary she will be under the Lord’s protection while He does the impossible through her and her cousin Elizabeth.

And with that promise in place, Gabriel moves to the source of that protection. The Holy Spirit’s personal involvement. He will overshadow Mary. He will wrap Himself around her as she brings God’s Son into the world. Through the Holy Spirit, Mary is going to be protected by the power of the Most High. God Himself is present in this moment, and He is not going to leave Mary. His protection will be upon her.

As God invites Mary to step into the impossible, to be a part of something that has never been done before and will never be done again, He provides His protection through His Holy Spirit.

Think of moments when you’ve stepped into something far bigger than you felt ready for. Becoming a parent, starting a new job, sharing your faith with someone you love, walking into the hospital room you didn’t want to enter. Those moments expose how small we are, but they also reveal how near God is. God doesn’t call you into places where He refuses to go with you. His protective love is with you.

There is a spiritual protection when we participate in God’s love. When we give our lives to Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit, we are no longer living under the shadow of the world but are overshadowed by the power of the Most High. The same God who created the Heavens and the Earth, who brought the dead back to life, and who took the form of a man so that He could sacrifice Himself to remove our sin is now offering you His spiritual protection. His love is so great, so infinite, that despite all He has done for you and me, He wants to overshadow you with His protection. You don’t have to be carrying the Son of God in your womb to experience His love. You just need to say yes to receiving Him. As God’s love draws you into relationship with Him, you receive His protection.

When we experience a holy love like this, love that protects, surrounds, and sustains us, the only fitting response is love in return. That’s what we see in Mary. Her obedience isn’t just a soldier following orders; it’s love responding to love. She wants to serve God because she loves Him, not for personal gain, but because she has experienced His love so deeply that the only response is to love Him back. To submit her entire self to Him as His Holy Spirit overshadows her as He does the impossible within her.

When we are under His loving protection, we begin to experience the impossible. For Mary, she experienced the greatest gift the world has ever seen. The Messiah born from a virgin. Elizabeth, who was believed to be unable to have children because of her age, was the one who would give birth to John the Baptist. The man who would pave the way for Jesus’s ministry on Earth.

Yet neither Mary nor Elizebeth knew the other was experiencing the impossible. They had no idea God was working miracles in both of their lives, yet in His love He began working behind the scenes to bring His plan of redemption to life. God is always working for our good even when we don’t see it because He loves you. His love protects us as we submit to Him.

And this is where the Christmas story meets our story. Not as a task to complete, but as a gift to receive. The God who drew near to Mary draws near to you. Not because you’ve earned it, not because you’ve held yourself together this year, not because you’ve managed the perfect Christmas season, but because He delights to be close to His people. His love moves toward those who feel overwhelmed, exhausted, uncertain, or numb. His love makes room for those carrying grief in one hand and hope in the other. And when His love draws us near, we begin to notice His comfort in places we once felt alone: in the quiet moment before everyone wakes up, in the conversation we’ve been dreading, in the ache we don’t have words for. His nearness becomes the steady presence we lean on. His love sustains us.

And as His love holds us we discover His empowerment and His protection woven throughout our days. Sometimes loud and obvious, sometimes gentle and almost unnoticed. His Spirit strengthens the parent who feels stretched thin, the spouse who is fighting for their marriage, the young adult navigating decisions that feel far too heavy, the widow walking into another holiday with an empty seat at the table. His Spirit guards the one battling anxious thoughts at night, or the one stepping into a new season that feels bigger than they are. He draws near to you. None of this is a reward for trying harder. It is simply what happens when the God who overshadowed Mary overshadows His people today with a love that surrounds, upholds, and assures us we are never left to face the impossible alone. God’s love has reached out to you through Jesus, and He is inviting you into relationship with Him.

Take one place in your life right now that feels impossible, and place it under the overshadowing love of Jesus. His overshadowing love draws you near to Him where your grief is comforted, your life empowered through the receiving of His Holy Spirit, and His protection washes over you as He shields you from sin. What impossible area do you need to give to Him?

My prayer is you submit to Jesus as you sense His love drawing you close, and may His comfort, empowerment, and protection meet you exactly where you are.

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